Process of manufacturing fuel blocks or briquets.



UNITED STATES Patented December 8, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO NEUGEBAUER, OF HANOVER, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EMILSCHMIDT, OF HANOVER, GERMANY.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING FUEL BLOCKS OR BRIQUETS.

' SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 746,366, dated.December 8, 1903. Application filed April 15, 1903. Serial No. 152.78%(No specimens.)

T to whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, OTTO NEUGEBAUER, a subject of His Majesty theEmperor of Germany, residing at Hanover, in the Empire of Germany,have'inventednew and useful Improvements in Processes for theManufacture of Fuel Blocks or Briquets, of which the following is aspecification.

In the production of briquets from coal-dust IO the use of water-glassas a binding medium is known. As, however, it is difficult to thoroughlymix the water-glass with the coal-dust, the binding, even under greatpressure, is exceedingly slow and, moreover, unreliable, and

I5 consequently the briquets do not possess the requisite firmness.Attempts have already been made to diminish the adhesive and noteasily-fusible nature of the water-glass by suitable additions, andthereby render it more I suitable for mixing, but hitherto without thedesired result. With the addition of liquid substances proper binding.was not effected, while when solid hygroscopic substances, whether oforganic or inorganic origin, were added the binding power of thewater-glass was used up by these additional substances.

According to the present process the object sought through theseexperiments is actually attained not by making the water-glass suit- 0able for mixing with the coal-dust, but by leaving it unaltered andmaking the coal-d ust more suitable for taking up the water-glass, sothat the Water-glass fully retains its binding power. To this end thecoal-dust is moistoned With viscous loam-water or'clay-water andthoroughly mixed therewith. This mixture is left to dry, the dryingprocess being in certain cases accelerated by the addition of ahygroscopic substance, such as cellulose,

40 turf-dust, or their equivalents; When the mass is fairly dry, it isthoroughly moistened with water-glass and is then ready for thebriquet-making process.

The production of the briquets can be offected either in the followingmanner by the mass being placed in molds under slight pressure and leftto dry therein, or, if suitably: high pressure be employed, the mass canat once be taken out of the mold and be allowed to dry inv the air, asthe thorough mixing ef- 5o fected by the previous treatment of thecoaldust insures the immediate firm cohesion of the mass and in a shorttime renders it also thoroughly hard. The briquets made in this mannerare much stronger and far more weatherproof than the pressed briquetsmade in the manner already known, and their production is much cheaper.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The processof manufacturing artificial fuel blocks or briquets in whichwater-glass as a known binding medium is used, consisting in firstsubjecting the coal-dust to a saturation with loam or clay water, andadding to the mass so treated a suitable hygroscopic sub-- stance, suchas cellulose or turf-dust, and then subsequently adding the water-glasswhen the mass is approximately dry, the briquets being molded underpressure, which is regulated according as said briquets are to beallowed to dry in or out of the molds, substantially as specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twowitnesses.

OTTO NEUGEBAUER.

Witnesses:

LEONORE KASOH, MAX WILRITH.

